Press Release:  January 31, 2005

Contact: James Fall (907) 267-2359, in SE AK Mike Turek (907) 465-3617

Subsistence Halibut Fishery Mail Survey

(Juneau) - The Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), Division of Subsistence, will soon mail a one-page survey form to everyone who has registered and received a Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC) from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Survey recipients will be asked to indicate if they subsistence fished for halibut in 2004, how many halibut they harvested, and to return the form to ADF&G.

This will be the second year of a project to estimate subsistence halibut harvests in Alaska. Results of the research pertaining to 2003 subsistence halibut harvests are available at the Division of Subsistence website at www.subsistence at: www.subsistence.adfg.state.ak.us under “Publications.”

ADF&G and NMFS are encouraging everyone who receives the survey to take a few minutes to fill it out and return it to ADF&G; ensuring that future subsistence halibut fishery decisions are based on reliable information. Accurate harvest information is essential for effective management and for providing future subsistence fishing opportunities.

NMFS requested the ADF&G Division of Subsistence to conduct this survey because of the division’s experience and expertise in performing subsistence research. The study findings will be summarized at a community level and presented in a final written report available to the public in late 2005.

NMFS issued the subsistence halibut fishery regulations for the first time in April 2003. This management program provides opportunities for residents in 117 rural Alaska communities and 123 Alaska Native tribes with customary and traditional uses of halibut to participate in the fishery after obtaining a SHARC from NMFS.

Questions about subsistence halibut fishing regulations, including how to obtain a SHARC, should be addressed to the NMFS at 1-800-304-4846 (option #2).

Questions about the survey should be addressed to the Division of Subsistence of ADF&G in Anchorage (907-267-2353) or Douglas (907-465-3617).

For more information, contact:
James Fall
Regional Program Manager
Division of Subsistence
Phone: 907-267-2359
E mail: jim_fall@fishgame.state.ak.us
 

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